Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Comment: A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact. The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include previous owner inscriptions. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.

This African-Native American woman, born in the deep South during the Depression era, chronicles her courageous journey into the 21st Century. This is her story of persistence and triumph, of loss and struggle, of love and transcendence. It will heal, inspire, encourage and touch deep places in your heart.

Special offers and product promotions

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Pocahontas Gertler, LHD, born in the Deep South, got her primary and secondary education in pre-Civil Rights era Georgia and Florida, and graduated from National College with a BA in Sociology. She later went on to earn her Master of Education degree from Chestnut Hill College. As a student, she helped integrate a college in a segregated environment. She has been a social worker, a chaplain's assistant in the United States Air Force, a trained singer of classical music, a mother, a lecturer, a teacher, an entrepreneur and an author. Now retired and living in Northern Arizona, Pocahontas and her husband Gene have devoted much of their time to volunteer work on two Indian reservations in Arizona. In June 2012 Pocahontas was awarded the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters (LHD) from Northcentral University for her lifetime of achievement and contribution to her community.

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Pocahontas Little Dove, born in January 1933 in the colored part of Savannah from a Native American Indian mother (Cherokee and Tuscarora) and an African American father, was subjected to life-long struggles against unimaginable adversaries: poverty, ignorance, illness, abuse, persecution, sexism, bigotry, racism and segregation.

Her grandmother had a positive influence in her early life and taught her peace and forgiveness and to love the Creator and love her neighbor as herself. Her grandmother's spirit remained with her while she was searching for meaning and purpose in her life. Striving for conflict resolution and pleasing people, she had to endure an adulterous husband and the death of her son; it seemed too much for a single person to bear. She had to work hard for every victory, but never gave up, and her faith carried her through.

She never did walk alone: the Lord her God held her hand and guided her feet while she ran her race. She overcame many hardships by determination, perseverance and faith. She met and married the love of her life and together they are striving to raise awareness of the horror of racism in America.

This is a book that will touch you like no other, especially if you, like me, were not aware of the depth of the anguish that people of color still endure in this day and age. My hope is that it will contribute to a better America, if not a better world.

In this lovingly written memoir, Pocahontas Gertler reminds us gently but firmly of the importance of story in transformation--of individuals, communities, or society as a whole. Gertler grew up in the deep South during the Thirties and Forties, the daughter of a Native American mother and an African American father. She experienced poverty and racism firsthand, and saw the effects that these had on the people around her. She writes movingly of what it was like to be dark-skinned in world where light skin equalled beauty, even within her own family. I was intrigued by her account of life under segregation, something which is difficult for me to imagine, having been born in the North after the Civil Rights Movement had already begun to bear fruit nationwide.

Gertler tells us of her experiences in Catholic school, and later a boarding school and college. She shares her feelings of insecurity while at the same time telling us of how she worked, in her own quiet, steady way, to beat down the walls of racism in any way she was able. She welcomes us into her heart and mind as she takes us down the path she traveled from an abusive marriage to one based on love and mutual respect. Her hope and optimism despite having seen the dark side of humanity again and again is a lesson for all of us.

Gertler is not a movie star. She is not a famous athlete or a world traveller. To some, her story might seem unimportant. But in the end, it is extremely important, as she opens a window into another world for many of us, using simple language, strong emotion and a quiet wit to give a voice to many who otherwise may have remained forever without a voice of their own.

by Khadijah Lacinafor Story Circle Book Reviewsreviewing books by, for, and about women

A dear friend recommended this book to me. I have thanked her countless times. Pocahontas recounts in loving, heart-breaking, inspiring detail the stages of her Life. Because she is of dual ancestry, as am I, I could readily relate to her on many levels. The parallels of her journey and the similar journeys of members of my Mother's family were touching and personal.

Ms. Gertler shows her resilience, determination and instinct to survive with a positive spirit in spite of all the trials she went through as well as the ones she bore personal witness to. Some of the chapters were difficult to read since they were so painful. I imagined my forebears in similar situations and remembered stories they had told me throughout my childhood. Memories came flooding back and I made prayers to thank them for blazing the path which we walk today.

At times, it became a little 'preachy' in my opinion, but the overall message overshadowed that. For a first book, her style was cohesive, flowing, concise and deeply moving. Reading this book was an enriching experience and I am grateful she decided to share her story with us.

I am lucky be an acquaintance of Poco. I had to read this book in parts not only due to my having reading difficulties but the emotional impact. I knew she was a special person when I met her. Over years of spending short periods of time in her presence I knew she must have a story to tell and I was so glad to hear she was putting that story in print. She's an inspiration, a lady in the true sense and someone whose given so much to others despite the difficulties she was given throughout life, I wish I would have written this review earlier. I hope through her book you get to know her a little too.